Paige VanZant reacts to her husband's debut win and post-fight brawl at UFC Seattle
02/23/2025 04:46 AM
Paige VanZant couldn’t be prouder of Austin Vanderford after his short-notice UFC debut.
Earlier this week, the former Bellator title contender agreed to face Nikolay Veretennikov at a catchweight of 175lb on very short notice at UFC Seattle on Saturday night.
Austin Vanderford scored an epic TKO win after raining down with ground-and-pound in round two.
Things got a bit ugly post-fight. Veretennikov pushed Paige VanZant‘s partner, who didn’t back down and responded by making a crude gesture before continuing his post-fight celebrations with a raucous crowd in the Emerald City.
Paige VanZant react to Austin Vanderford’s UFC debut win
VanZant beamed from ear to ear as she celebrated in the Octagon with Vanderford post-fight.
After leaving the venue, the ex-UFC star began sharing pictures and videos from the scrap on social media.
"Welcome to the UFC baby!!!!!” VanZant captioned her Instagram post after UFC Seattle.
“My warrior Austin Vanderford,” she wrote alongside another image shared to her story.
Soon, she’ll be the one fighting after recently agreeing to return to MMA with Global Fight League.
For now, VanZant will take some time out to celebrate a massive victory with her spouse.
What’s next for Austin Vanderford?
Dana White called Vanderford’s post-fight scuffle ‘nothing’ in the immediate aftermath of UFC Seattle.
The 34-year-old was a middleweight contender during his days under the Bellator banner.
However, he's planning to chase welterweight gold in the UFC Octagon. With the support of his team, Vanderford feels confident that he's ready to go on the best run of his career, which could end with him facing Belal Muhammad for the 170lb strap.
"This is where I'd always want to be," he said during his post-fight press conference at UFC Seattle.
"The UFC was where I wanted to be at. Going to a different organization and fighting Gegard Mousasi for the middleweight title… just going and getting that experience, and the things I was going through in that time period of my life, more than anything, built me for this opportunity right here and forged the run I'm about to make right now.
"I wouldn't take that back for anything. I've got a coach, a wife, and a team who believe in me so much.
"It's hard to doubt yourself when someone you respect is telling you these things every single day. You have these doubts in your mind and then you're hearing it every day. 'Look, you can go and do this, you can make it to the top'. It's hard to doubt yourself from that, so I've got a lot of confidence from [my coach], my wife, and my team.
"I think the spot I'm in right now was the one I was supposed to be in. I'm excited to capitalize on all of that and move forward."
